Jane Poyner

Jane Poyner is a Professor in English and Creative Writing at the University of Exeter. As a leading scholar of South African literature and postcolonial studies, her research focuses on the socio-political dimensions of literary works in the Global South, particularly through the lens of environmental justice and urban studies. She has published extensively on J.M. Coetzee, Ivan Vladislavic, Zoe Wicomb, Zakes Mda, and other South African writers.

• Specializes in postcolonial literature and cultural history
• Pioneer in analyzing intersections of art, visual culture, and postcolonial theory
• Expert in environmental humanities
• Contributor to the MLA Approaches to Teaching World Literature Series

Her award-winning book J. M. Coetzee and the Idea of the Public Intellectual (2006) remains a seminal work in the field, and her recent research explores literary representations of environmental justice in the Global South. She actively supervises PhD students in these areas and engages with contemporary literary experimentation.

Awards

• 2007 CHOICE Outstanding Academic Title Award
• 2015 Teaching Literature Book Award nomination

Jane welcomes research collaborations and PhD applications across her expertise domains, including the 'postcolonial city,' South African cultural history, and the environmental humanities.